PAWN by Aimee Carter

I won’t hide it! I’m kind of crazy about dystopian. I devour it with great happiness.

And, keep your socks on, blogglings, because tomorrow Mime and I have a crazy ingenious discussion about HEIST SOCIETY. You’ve been warned.

Thanks Harlequin for the ARC!

PAWN releases on the 26th of November.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister’s niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. There’s only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that’s not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she’s only beginning to understand.

The blurb is epic, is it not? Plus, I have to say, cover looove! I love the simplicity. It packs a subtle punch. As for the book itself, I was torn on what to think! It’s a lot like LEGEND by Marie Lu – you take a test (at age 17 in PAWN) and you get a number. I is the worst, and VII is the best (only the president & co get the coveted VII). I love that concept, it’s just I’d read it before in LEGEND. The premise was the “perfect” government full of corrupt politicians and while all is regulated and controlled (like how many kids you could have, and how old you got to live to). I’d heard before too. That comes hand-in-hand with dystopian, though. BUT I thought the concept of face-transplants pretty dang creepy and awesome. Fresh premise! Yessss!

Characters? We all knoooow how much I squawk about characters, now don’t we? I have to admit, PAWN didn’t blow me away with an epic cast. The names, I totally loved though. They were different, but fresh, and totally stuck out! Kitty Doe is the narrator, Benjy is her boyfriend. And then there’s the political leaders, the Harts, with Lila, Augusta, Knox (love that name!) and Greyson. I did love Kitty Doe though! (Yup, I’m also a fabulous poet.) She had a real spunky voice.

The plot is filled with intrigue and deception. Honestly? NO one is who you think they are! I loved how they swapped faces. I felt that could have been explored more, but maybe in the next book? (I hear CAPTIVE is the next one!) I also would have liked to know more about the rebels.

One of my only negativities, though, is the stakes of the book. Are they too low? No way! They are SO high. From chapter one, Kitty risks her life for an orange (hey, some of us crave citrus okay?). But, see, that was the problem for me. The stakes twanged higher in the next few chapters, but they couldn’t rise anymore after that. Kitty had a proverbial gun to her head (both literally and figuratively), so she did what she was supposed to. Buuut, it can’t get much higher then that, can it? Because the stakes didn’t particularly climb for the rest of the book, I didn’t feel panic for the finale.

Also, the name…um, guys, it’s seriously hard to tell someone, “What am I reading? I’m reading PAWN…um…okay, it’s not what you think it is.” I really, really wish the title of this book was different, okay?! Awkward.

All in all, PAWN is an enjoyable and engaging read! I’d pick up the sequel, no worries. It’s a quickie – I gobbled it in just 2-days. Dystopian? Gotta love it.

Cait is busily blogging reviews because she is sooo far behind. And she has to share these fabulous books with you or she will combust. She is currently reading These Broken Stars and eating honeycomb chocolates. It is a match made on the moon.

I don't mind paranormal! It can sound the same a lot, but so can dystopian. 😉 I was so impressed with the premise of this one, if not the originality of the rest of the plot. But still! Try it, yes, definitely try PAWN!

Like you I really enjoyed Pawn, I thought it was an amazing read! I just LOVED how the stakes were high and when they swapped faces. Glad you compared it Legend, I read that one a while ago and honestly couldn't remember where I had read the aptitude test bit from! Thanks for your lovely review.Jeann @ Happy Indulgence